Metadata

Support
Āyaka pillar in three fragments (A = acc. no. 289; B = acc. no. 678; C has no inventory number); h. 218 ×  w. 54 ×  d. 41 cm.
Text
Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. h. 65 ×  w. 56 cm .
Date
Sixth regnal year of Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, approximately between 225 and 275 CE.
Origin
Erected originally at findspot.
Provenance
Discovered between March 1926 and October 1927 at Nagarjunakonda, Site 1, on the East side of the Mahācaitya. All three fragments were identified on Nagarjunakonda island in in February 2016. The upper and middle fragments are stored in the Museum’s reserve collection (acc. nos. 289 and 678); the lower fragment, apparently not endowed with an accession number, is accessible on the southern Āyaka platform of the reconstructed Mahācaitya.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s):
  • photos JM 2017 (for two smaller fragments only)
  • photos AL 2017
    • Photo(s) of estampage(s):
  • estampage Leiden N15 (three separate sheets)
    • Editors
    Stefan Baums, Arlo Griffiths, Ingo Strauch and Vincent Tournier.
    Publication history
    First described by Vogel 1929–30a: 13 (A4) , but without edition of the text. This was first integrally published by Baums et al. 2016: 379–389 .

    Edition

    (1) sidhaṁ namo bhagavato devarājasakatasa supabudhabodhino savaṁñuno savasatānukaṁpa[ka] sa (2) jitarāgadosamohavipamutasa mahāgaṇivasabhagaṁdhahathisa saṁmasaṁbudhasa dhātuvara(3) parigahitasa °imaṁmhi mahācetiye mahārajasa virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa °agi(4) (hota) ///°agiṭhomavājapeyāsamedhayājisa hiraṁṇakoṭigosatasahasahalasatasa/// (hasapadāyisa) (5) (sa) ///vathesu °apatiha⟨ta⟩saṁkapasa vāsiṭhīputasa °ikhākusa siricāṁtamūlasa sodarā bhagini (6) [ra] (ṁ)ño māḍhariputasa sirivira[pu]risadatasa pituchā mahāsenāpatisa mahātalavarasa vāsiṭhīputasa (7) pūkiyānaṁ kadasirisa bhariyā samaṇabamhaṇakavaṇavaṇijakadīnānugahavailāmikadānapaṭi[bh]ā(8)gavochinadhārapadāyini savasādhuvachalā mahādānapatini mahātalavari khaṁdasāgaraṁṇakamātā (9) cāṁtisiri °apano °ubhayakulasa °atichita -m- anāgatavaṭamānakānaṁ parināmetuna °ubhayaloka(10)hitasukhanivāṇathanāya °atano ca nivāṇasaṁpatisaṁpādake °imaṁ khaṁbhaṁ savalokahitasukhanivāṇathanāya ca (11) patiṭhapitaṁ ti – raṁño si[r]iv[i]rapurisadatasa saṁva 6 ⟨ vāpa 6 ⟩ diva 10

    (1) sidhaṁ namo bhagavato devarājasakatasa supabudhabodhino savaṁñuno savasatānukaṁpa[ka] sa
    (2) jitarāgadosamohavipamutasa mahāgaṇivasabhagaṁdhahathisa saṁmasaṁbudhasa dhātuvara-
    (3) parigahitasa °imaṁmhi mahācetiye mahārajasa virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa °agi-
    (4) (hota) ///°agiṭhomavājapeyāsamedhayājisa hiraṁṇakoṭigosatasahasahalasatasa/// (hasapadāyisa)
    (5) (sa) ///vathesu °apatiha⟨ta⟩saṁkapasa vāsiṭhīputasa °ikhākusa siricāṁtamūlasa sodarā bhagini
    (6) [ra] (ṁ)ño māḍhariputasa sirivira[pu]risadatasa pituchā mahāsenāpatisa mahātalavarasa vāsiṭhīputasa
    (7) pūkiyānaṁ kadasirisa bhariyā samaṇabamhaṇakavaṇavaṇijakadīnānugahavailāmikadānapaṭi[bh]ā-
    (8)gavochinadhārapadāyini savasādhuvachalā mahādānapatini mahātalavari khaṁdasāgaraṁṇakamātā
    (9) cāṁtisiri °apano °ubhayakulasa °atichita -m- anāgatavaṭamānakānaṁ parināmetuna °ubhayaloka-
    (10)hitasukhanivāṇathanāya °atano ca nivāṇasaṁpatisaṁpādake °imaṁ khaṁbhaṁ savalokahitasukhanivāṇathanāya ca
    (11) patiṭhapitaṁ ti – raṁño si[r]iv[i]rapurisadatasa saṁva 6 ⟨ vāpa 6 ⟩ diva 10 
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
					
					          <lb n="1"/> 
               <w>sidhaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok920">namo</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok921">bhagavato</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok922">devarājasakatasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok923">supabudhabodhino</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok924">savaṁñuno</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok925">savasatānukaṁpa<unclear>ka</unclear>
                  sa</w>
					          <lb n="2"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok926">jitarāgadosamohavipamutasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok927">mahāgaṇivasabhagaṁdhahathisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok928">saṁmasaṁbudhasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok929">dhātuvara<lb n="3" break="no"/>
                  parigahitasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok931">°imaṁmhi</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok932">mahācetiye</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok933">mahārajasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok934">virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok935">°agi<lb n="4" break="no"/>
                  <supplied reason="lost">hota</supplied>
                  <milestone unit="fragment" n="B"/>°agiṭhomavājapeyāsamedhayājisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok937">hiraṁṇakoṭigosatasahasahalasatasa<milestone unit="fragment" n="C"/>
                  <supplied reason="lost">hasapadāyisa</supplied>
               </w>
					          <lb n="5"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok938">
                  <supplied reason="lost">sa</supplied>
                  <milestone unit="fragment" n="B"/>vathesu</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok939">°apatiha<supplied reason="omitted">ta</supplied>saṁkapasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok940">vāsiṭhīputasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok941">°ikhākusa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok942">siricāṁtamūlasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok943">sodarā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok943bis">bhagini</w>
					          <lb n="6"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok944">
                  <unclear>ra</unclear>
                  <supplied reason="lost">ṁ</supplied>ño</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok945">māḍhariputasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok946">sirivira<unclear>pu</unclear>risadatasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok947">pituchā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok948">mahāsenāpatisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok949">mahātalavarasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok950">vāsiṭhīputasa</w>
					          <lb n="7"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok951">pūkiyānaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok952">kadasirisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok953">bhariyā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok953bis">samaṇabamhaṇakavaṇavaṇijakadīnānugahavailāmikadānapaṭi<unclear>bh</unclear>ā<lb n="8" break="no"/>gavochinadhārapadāyini</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok956">savasādhuvachalā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok957">mahādānapatini</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok958">mahātalavari</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok959">khaṁdasāgaraṁṇakamātā</w>
					          <lb n="9"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok960">cāṁtisiri</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok961">°apano</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok962">°ubhayakulasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="cmp18">
                  <w xml:id="tok963">°atichita</w>
                  <w xml:id="tok964" type="hiatus-breaker">m</w>
                  <w xml:id="tok965">anāgatavaṭamānakānaṁ</w>
               </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok966">parināmetuna</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok967">°ubhayaloka<lb n="10" break="no"/>hitasukhanivāṇathanāya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok969">°atano</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok970">ca</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok971">nivāṇasaṁpatisaṁpādake</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok972">°imaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok973">khaṁbhaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok974">savalokahitasukhanivāṇathanāya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok975">ca</w>
					          <lb n="11"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok976">patiṭhapitaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok977">ti</w>
					          <pc>–</pc>
					          <w xml:id="tok979">raṁño</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok980">si<unclear>r</unclear>iv<unclear>i</unclear>rapurisadatasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok981">saṁva</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok982" value="6">6</num>
					          <supplied reason="omitted">
                  <w xml:id="tok983">vāpa</w>
						            <num xml:id="tok984" value="6">6</num>
               </supplied>
					          <w xml:id="tok985">diva</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok986" value="10">10</num>
				        </ab>

    Translation

    (1-3) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, worshipped by the king(s) of the gods, who completely realized Awakening, the Omniscient One, who is compassionate with all beings, who conquered and is released from lust, hate and delusion, the bull and rut elephant among great leaders, the Perfect Buddha who is ensconced in the excellent relic [or: element (i.e., nirvāṇadhātu)]!
    (3-11) At this Great Shrine, Cāntisirī — uterine sister of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Cāntamūla the Ikṣvāku, favored by Mahāsena who has Virūpākṣa as his lord, sacrificer of the Agnihotra, the Agniṣṭoma, the Vājapeya and the Aśvamedha, giver of tens of millions of (pieces of) gold, hundreds of thousands of cows and hundreds of thousands of plows (of land), whose will is unimpeded in all matters; paternal aunt of King Māṭharīputta Siri-Vīrapurisadatta; wife of Great General, Great Talavara Vāsiṭṭhīputta Kandasiri of the Pūkīyas; giver of an unequalled and uninterrupted stream of velāmika gifts as a favor to ascetics, brahmans, beggars, mendicants and the wretched; affectionate to all good people; great donor; Great-Talavara-wife, mother of Khandasāgaraṇṇaka — having dedicated (the merit) to the past, future and present members of her family on both sides, established this pillar for the sake of well-being and happiness in both worlds and nirvāṇa, and for achieving the fortune of nirvāṇa for herself, for the sake of the well-being, happiness and nirvāṇa of all people.
    (11) In the 6th year of King Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, in the 6th fortnight of the rainy season, on the 10th day.

    Commentary

    • (4) -sa(hasapadāyisa) This reconstruction, based on the parallels, assumes that this line continued over the fourth facet of the pillar, and that, similarly to line 6, 3 akṣaras were written on that facet.

    Secondary bibliography